Eagles Weekly Wrap - Issue:24

OUR WEEKLY ROUNDUP – CHECK OUT THE SCORES AND COACHES’ COMMENTS ON THE TEAM’S PERFORMANCES.

SATURDAY 2nd MARCH

York Eagles II v Grimsby Phoenix

U14 JNBL North Conference 1

Result: 29-68 (Loss)

Player of the Game:

Griffin Evans – 6pts/6rebs/4blks

Coach Kris Gladwin commented on the U14s II performance:

“A tough game against a big physical Grimsby side, had positives and negatives but overall, a good result, conducting they scored just under 100 in the reverse fixture. A lot of Grimsby’s points came from fast breaks to their fast, big athletic players that there was very little that could be done to stop, though there were quite a few occasions where the defender managed to do enough to put off the first shot. Defence was very good when set properly but there was a habit of double marking, and the boys are still not talking to each other enough. Offence was patchy, as on occasion the boys crowded each other or dribbled down cul-de-sacs. However, when the boys passed and cut properly there were baskets to be had.”

York Eagles v Leeds LDM

U14 JNBL North Conference 1

Result: 53-36 (Win)

Player of the Game:

Jack Bishop – 17pts/13rebs/4blks

Coach Tyler Paton-Pottage commented on the U14s Performance:

“With a delayed tip time due to an issue with LDM, gave us an advantage to start with as we had been warming up for 30+ minutes, and it showed as we came out of the blocks firing in the 1st half, thanks to some good shooting from Jack Bishop, and some very good finishing from Samuel Ho + James Wormald. Our 2nd quarter might be the best we have played all season, with a bumper crowd making noise, we gave them something to chant about. The second half was execution (York) versus frustration (LDM), the game then became a little lethargic and slow as both teams struggled to score, and we became sloppy with passes. Overall, a massive final home win which did show our improved development in each player of the last 8 months. 2 away games left, against considerably easier opponents.”

Notable Performances:

Samuel Ho – 16pts/5rebs/4stls/3asts

James Wormald – 13pts/7rebs/4stls

York Eagles v City of Leeds

U14 JNBL Girls North Conference 1

Result: 54-44 (Win)

Player of the game:

Zofia Parsons – 16pts/10rebs/4stls

Coach Ghada Khattab commented on the U14s Girls Performance:

“The girls sealed their North Conference Championship win this week, a major achievement for them and the club. It wasn’t our prettiest win by any means, with 3 players falling ill in the build-up to the match and one returning from injury. The girls also felt the pressure at times, being fully aware of the significance of such a win. They belong to York Eagles first ever girls’ team, and the only one currently playing at NL. This has given me and the girls immense pride and determination to do well and raise the profile of girls Basketball in York, but it was also bound to weigh heavily on their shoulders. There were some rushed plays at times, leading to more turnovers and more missed shots than our usual standard. Importantly though, there was enough of the usual brilliant plays by everyone to win every quarter and to see us through, with Zofia shining on offence alongside her usual defence. Leeds put up a great fight till the end and left everything they could. Now we chase the unbeaten record with our last two scheduled games. I, together with Coaches Tyler and Az, really couldn’t be prouder!”

Notable performances:

Grace Roberts – 12pts/4blks

SUNDAY 3rd MARCH

York Eagles v QE Knights Academy

U18 JNBL Northern Premier

Result: 65-59 (Win)

Players of the Game:

Dimitri Kotidis – 15pts/5rebs/4stls/4asts

Billy Donaghy – 13pts/4rebs

Coach Kostas Kotidis commented on the U18s Performance:

“The team did themselves proud, they won, so we are now on course to avoid playoffs for relegation and have our choice for next year. The game was a bit of a rollercoaster; at times we were dominating and built a decent point cushion, only for fatigue and resulting turnovers to allow QE to get back into the game (reason why we lost the 4th Q). Proud of all the guys today but particularly Alex, Hayden and Jack stepped up a gear and contributed more than previous. Both myself and Coach Rod are hoping and expecting this to continue from all. Anyways, now we have to focus on the final 4 tough games but if we focus w eight be able to snatch one more win.”

Notable Performances:

Freddie Marshall – 12pts/4rebs (4/9 3P)

Korbin Evans – 10pts/14rebs

York Eagles v MK Breakers

U16 JNBL Northern Premier

Result: 65-54 (Win)

Players of the game:

George Andrews – 21pts/11rebs

Emilis Vildziunas – 14pts/22rebs/8blks/5stls/4asts

Coach Paul Pickering commented on the U16s Performance:

“A much-improved performance after a difficult few weeks with illness and injuries and with us only have 9 players with 2 at North Super Regionals, we drafted in U14 player Samuel Ho, to gain experience at a higher level, and did very well, especially dealing with pressure from No. 12 and also getting himself on the scoresheet, which I’m sure would have made his Coach (Tyler) proud. More importantly, it was the way we won, the attitude and resilience were the big focal points and this needs to continue for the reminder of the season. We became dogs on defence as we defended for our lives which meant keeping MK to 54. Hope this continues…”

Notable Performances:

Travis Greening – 12pts/3stls

York Eagles @ Spen Valley Vipers

U12s Regional

Result: 52-74 (Win)

Player of the Game:

Alessio Vento Joyce – 16pts/7rebs

Coach James Searson commented on the U12s Performance:

“A great effort from the lads, they had to work hard for the win, as we only had 8 players available. The 1st half we started better offensively and managed to outside our opponents thanks to Alessio and George. Our defence was poor in the 1st half, so we had a good chat about what needs to be fixed and we did better in the 2nd half. Especially the 3rd Q – it was a delight to watch, everyone knew what to do as we held them to 4pts. In the 4th, Vipers came out hungry for more points as tiredness crept in for us, which led to us getting frustrated and a little heated at times, but we managed to stick together and win the game! Harry Kim did a good job as Captain, but my MVP was Alessio, he played his heart out on both ends and a big well done to Tom Baxter who stepped up from the U11s and got on the scoresheet and even got a block!”

Associate Head Coach of York Eagles Tyler Paton-Pottage commented on this week’s results and what’s to come:

An incredible week of result for the club, 5/6 were wins, with 2 massive wins for both of our Premier NL teams as they beat local rivals QE and U16s getting revenge on Milton Keynes. An immense improvement form U12s as they travelled to Spen Valley and picked up a big win whilst being short-handed. 

On Saturday, we held our very first U14 showcase event, with raffles, and 3-point shooting contest at every half time, with the winner being u14 player Luke Lattimore-Bahrij, but more importantly, U14s 2 showed more resilience on defence but against a much bigger and quicker team in Grimsby so to no avail. Success for U14s 1 as they continued their winning ways and aim for 20 league wins. 

Finally, the U14 girls made history… they are now U14 JNBL North Conference 1 CHAMPIONS! With 2 games to spare and with us beating 2nd place Leeds, meant that we now claim 1st place in the league and look to next achievement, an unbeaten season! Absolutely magnificent season from the girls who are only playing in the league for the 2nd year, and we didn’t have any girls at the club till 2019, our first team was in 2021, the growth and development of the players is down to Coach Ghada Khattab, she has put girls' basketball in York on the map, she puts in tireless efforts to better girls' basketball. 

Congratulations to the U14 Girls.